Exotic Diseases Common For U.s. Poor

June 25, 2008|By Wendy Hansen Los Angeles Times

Despite plummeting mortality rates for most infectious diseases over the last century, a group of largely overlooked bacterial, viral and parasitic infections still plague the nation's poor, according to a report released Monday.

Many of the diseases typically are associated with developing countries in tropical climates but are surprisingly common in poor regions of the United States, according to the analysis published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Among the study's list of 24 conditions are exotic fare such as schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection common in Africa; brucellosis, a bacterial infection from unsanitary dairy products; and Dengue fever, a viral infection common in tropical Asia and South America.

Many of the diseases have become significant public health problems in the United States.

Collectively, these diseases afflict at least 300,000 Americans, although the actual number of infections could total into the millions, said Dr. Peter Hotez, chairman of the department of microbiology at George Washington University in Washington and author of the study.

While some of the diseases have been brought from overseas, most have long existed in this country, the report said.